cspector.worldwithoutend-第1部分

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　There　has　always　been　magic。　And　magic　has　a　life　of　its　own。　It　es　and　goes　without　our　control。　It　flows　through　the　world　as　it　will。
　This　is　how　the　world　was　Awakened。
　Magical　energy　ran　through　the　veins　of　the　world　like　blood　through　humans。　It　changed　her。　And　it　changed　her　people。
　And　it　came　to　pass　that　events　shaped　by　magic　began　to　alter　history。
　Earthquakes　tore　the　earth　apart。　The　Four　Horsemen　of　the　Apocalypse　seemed　to　be　riding　across　the　world。　Conquest；　War；　Famine；　and　Death　raged　unabated。　The　VITAS　plague　alone　took　almost　a　quarter　of　the　world's　population　in　the　year　2010。
　Then　came　2011：　the　Year　of　Chaos。
　Governments　fell。　Famine　gripped　the　poor　and　stalked　the　wealthy。　Nuclear　power　failed；　causing　massive　radiation　fallout。　War　peppered　the　world；　toppling　heads　of　state；　creating　new　countries。
　And　then　there　were　the　children。
　At　first；　they　were　called　deformities。　Then　mutations。　The　superstitious　called　them　changelings；　and　　saw　the　Hand　of　God　at　play。　Finally；　science　offered　a　label：　UGE。　Unexplained　Genetic　Expression。　Everywhere　you　looked　the　media　ran　stories　about　these　babies；　calling　them　elves　and　dwarfs。　The　age…old　specter　of　prejudice　had　found　new　victims。
　At　the　end　of　2011；　the　most　dramatic　event　of　the　newly　Awakened　world　occurred。　The　great　worm；　Ryumyo；　rose　from　his　long　sleep　inside　Mt。　Fuji。　Thousands　watched　as　the　first　dragon　the　technological　world　had　seen　took　to　the　sky。　In　dragon　fashion　he　ignored　humans。　Humanity　got　its　first　close…up　look　at　a　dragon　when　Dunkelzahn　consented　to　a　series　of　trideo　interviews。　The　ratings　were　fantastic　and　launched　Dunkelzahn　as　an　international　celebrity。
　In　2014；　The　Native　American　Nations　claimed　responsibility　for　the　eruption　of　Redondo　Peak；　This　cataclysmic　event　buried　nearby　Los　Alamos　in　volcanic　ash。　In　a　desperate　measure　to　assert　control；　the　United　States　government　sent　federal　agents　in。　to　stop　the　NAN　uprising。　They　were　swept　into　oblivion　by　tornadoes　resulting　from　the　powerful　shamanistic　magic　of　the　Great　Ghost　Dance。
　After　this；　the　changes　in　the　world　began　to　happen　at　a　faster　and　faster　pace。　There　was　the　so…called　goblinization　of　2021。　Overnight；　people　began　to　change　into　fantastic　creatures　once　thought　to　exist　only　in　fairy　tales。　The　stuff　of　legend。
　And　buried　deep　within　the　Awakening　was　a　mystery　from　the　past。
　A　time　so　far　away　from　present　events　that　only　a　handful　of　people　knew　the　truth。
　About　how　the　world　once　was。　And　how　it　might　bee　again。
　When　magic　was　as　much　a　part　of　life　as　breathing；　or　eating；　or　seeing；　or　feeling。　And　how　the　world　was　made　full　of　heroes　and　troubadours；　and　mages；　and　wild　things　the　modern　world　could　not　fathom。　And　how　the　very　magic　that　flowed　through　this　world　also　drew　the　greatest　evil　to　it。
　And　when　that　evil　came　for　the　people；　one　great　race　understood　the　futility　of　fighting　this　new　plague　upon　the　land。　The　Theran　Empire　promised　a　way　to　survive　the　hundreds　of　years　this　Scourge　would　last。　They　sent　the　people　of　the　world　into　deep　underground　kaers　where　they　would　live　magically　sealed　against　the　invaders　until　the　time　when　they　could　e　back　to　the　surface　again。
　But　such　generosity　of　vision　always　has　its　price。
　However；　that　is　another　story。
　And　now　we　have　e　back　again　to　the　magic。　And　to　those　who　would　guard　the　world　from　the　horrors　of　the　past。
　Those　who　have　lived　through　it　all　before。
　Let　me　tell　you　a　story。。。
　Once　upon　a　time　there　was　a　woman。
　Sometimes；　in　the　story；　her　name　is　Pandora。　Sometimes　it's　Eve。　And　sometimes　it's　Lilith。
　There　are　more　names　for　her。
　It　all　depends　on　who's　telling　the　story。
　At　any　rate；　at　one　time　everything　in　the　world　was　wonderful。　Or　so　you're　supposed　to　believe。　There　was　enough　food　for　everyone　to　eat。　Enough　water　to　drink。　No　one　had　to　work。
　In　short：　Paradise。
　Except　for　one　thing。
　The　woman。
　You　see；　in　this　story　she's　at　the　root　of　all　the　trouble。
　Either　she　can't　help　opening　the　box。　Or　talking　to　the　snake。　Or　she's　just　too　uppity　for　her　own　good。
　And　she　starts　poking　around　in　things。　Things　We　Were　Not　Meant　to　Know。　And　as　a　result；　everything　goes　to　hell　in　a　handbasket。
　Or　so　the　person　telling　the　tale　would　have　you　believe。
　Of　course；　since　everything　in　the　world　isn't　total　drek；　there　has　to　be　some　sort　of　mitigating　factor。
　Like　we're　banished　from　the　garden。　But；　if　we　work　and　pray　hard　enough；　we　might　be　let　back　in。　Or　we're　told　that　the　woman　was　banished　to　the　edge　of　time　and　there　she　mated　with　demons。　And　her　offspring　e　to　us　in　our　dreams　and　torment　us。
　Seduce　us。
　Lead　us　astray。
　And　then；　in　some　versions　of　the　tale；　at　the　bottom　of　the　box　is　Hope。　Which；　we're　told；　is　the　only　way　to　survive　all　the　other　horrors　which　have　already　escaped　from　the　box。　It　is　the　only　thing　we　have　to　hold　on　to。
　Or　so　we're　told。
　But　that's　the　way　it　is　with　stories。
　You　just　don't　know　who　you　can　trust。
　
　PART　I
　
　〃Oh　fuck；　not　another　elf！〃
　Hugo　Dyson；　during　the　reading　of　a　manuscript　by　J。R。R。　Tolkien
　
　Across　the　frozen　planes　of　time　I've　e。　Through　fires　brighter　than　a　thousand　suns。　Through　darkness。　Through　the　Void。　Over　the　range　of　the　universe　I've　e。
　I've　e　for　you；　Aina。
　To　take　you　again　into　my　sweet　embrace　and　show　you　wonders　from　the　darkness　of　your　soul。　Then　I'll　make　you　yearn　for　death　while　I　rip　open　your　mind　and　lay　waste　to　everything　you　hold　dear。
　But　all　that　will　e　later。　For　we　have　centuries；　no；　millennia　to　play　our　games。　e　to　me　now　and　let　me　show　you。。。　let　me　show　everything　I　have　to　offer。
　Last　night　I　dreamt　again　of　Ysrthgrathe。
　And　when　I　awoke；　the　stench　of　death　and　corruption　still　lingered　in　the　air。
　Through　my　bedroom　window　moonlight　poured　cold　and　blue。　I　rubbed　my　eyes；　trying　to　convince　myself　that　it　had　only　been　a　dream。　That　the　demons　lurking　in　the　shadowed　ers　were　in　my　imagination。　A　conjuring　of　my　mind　only。
　I　shoved　the　covers　away；　letting　the　night　air　　send　gooseflesh　across　my　arms　and　down　my　legs。　Here　by　the　sea　on　the　northern　coast　of　Scotland　the　weather　stays　chill　and　damp　all　year　long。　It　had　never　bothered　me　before。　But　tonight；　I　felt　the　cold　straight　to　my　bones。　All　the　better　to　keep　me　awake；　I　thought。
　My　feet　shrank　as　they　touched　the　cold　bare　floor。　Grabbing　my　thick　robe；　I　wrapped　it　tightly　about　me。　It　was　made　of　real；　heavy；　woven　cashmere　fabric；　not　that　horrid　synth　stuff　they　sell　nowadays。
　I　went　downstairs　and　made　myself　some　tea。　It　warmed　my　body；　but　I　still　felt　chilled。　I　wanted　to　read；　but　I　hated　using　the　foul　contraption　Caimbeui　had　given　me。　The　vidscreen　gave　me　a　headache　and　I　could　never　bring　myself　to　have　cyberware　implanted。　Bodmod；　cyberjunk；　tickle…wires…whatever　they're　calling　them　this　week。
　Hadn't　I　done　enough　of　that　sort　of　thing　to　myself　in　the　past？
　I　shuddered　as　I　thought　about　Ysrthgrathe。
　Too　soon；　I　thought。　It's　too　soon。
　But　I　knew　it　wasn't。　The　very　thing　I'd　sought　to　prevent　seemed　to　be　happening。　That　is；　if　dreams　could　be　trusted。
　I　dumped　the　tea　into　the　sink　and　went　and　pulled　a　bottle　of　scotch　from　the　pantry　and　splashed　a　hefty　portion　into　a　tumbler。　It　burned　going　down　and　brought　tears　to　my　eyes。　I　suppose　the　elves　in　Tir　na　n6g　would　be　offended　at　my　traitorous　choice　of　beverage；　but　fray　them。　I　hadn't　been　on　speaking　terms　with　either　Tir　for　quite　some　time。　
　But　what　to　do　about　the　dreams？
　Perhaps　the　shamans　in　NAN　would　be　willing　to　listen。　But　then　I　remembered　the　dustup　we'd　had　before　the　Great　Ghost　Dance。　They　hadn't　been　too　happy　to　hear　my　predictions　about　the　magical　fallout　from　all　the　blood　they'd　planned　to　spill。
　Idiots。　If　only　they'd　listened。　I　suspected　then　that　this　would　be　the　result。　Like　bees　to　honey；　it　would　draw　the　creatures　again。　And　we'd　had　no　time　to　plan。　To　prepare。　This　time　the　monsters　from　the　past　would　lay　waste　to　the　whole　world。
　Are　you　waiting/or　me？　Have　you　been　waiting　for　me？　Does　you